SALTZMAN: 12 smartphone tips that’ll blow you away

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Even if you’re a seasoned smartphone user, chances are you’re only scratching the surface when it comes to your device’s capabilities.

If you’re like most users, you stick to what you know rather than venture out of your comfort zone.

Sound familiar?

Break free and try these lesser-known features embedded in your mobile device to help save you time, money and frustration.

The following are a dozen tips – six for iPhone and six for Android – to help you get more out of your device.

IPHONE

The most popular smartphone in Canada is iPhone, so let’s start here.

Edit, Unsend messages: We’ve all had that “uh oh” moment. If you sent a message but realized it needs to be edited or deleted, there is hope! Press and hold over that sent message and you’ll see options like Edit and Undo Send in the menu that pops up. Tap whichever you want to use at the time. But there’s a catch: the person you’re sending it to must also be on iPhone or else they’ll still see the message, and you only have 15 minutes to edit (and only 2 minutes to unsend the message).

Speak to me: Walking down the street and want to have an article or ebook read to you? Or perhaps you’re closing your eyes on an airplane but still want to continue the story you’re reading? To activate “Speak Screen,” go to Settings > Accessibility > Read & Speak > Speak Screen. Then, any app you’re in, swipe down with two fingers from the very top of the iPhone screen to hear the contents of the screen read to you. This works in other apps, too, like Safari (web browser), Mail, Notes, Messages, and more. You can also adjust the reading speed.

App icon “long press” shortcuts: Did you know most of your apps have hidden quick-launch options? Press and hold any app on your home screen and see if a menu appears with options. For example, press and hold on Camera and select the “Selfie” option. Or press and hold on Wallet and select to see “Last Transaction.” Press on TikTok and select “Notifications,” “Friends,” “Start Recording” – all from your iPhone home screen. Have fun experimenting.

Shake to delete: When typing words in any app (such as Messages or Notes), did you know you can shake the iPhone to undo your typing? This is much faster than pressing the back button to delete unwanted text. If this shake feature accidentally happens often, deactivate it in Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Shake to Undo > Off.

Back Tap: There’s a hidden button on your iPhone – but it’s not visible to the naked eye. Double- or triple-tap the back of your iPhone to perform an action quickly, such as launch the camera or mute your phone during a meeting? You can set this up in Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap.

Recover deleted photos: Ever accidentally deleted photos or videos you actually wanted to keep? Don’t worry, as they’re not gone – even though you can’t see them. Open the Photos app, tap Albums at the bottom, scroll down and select Recently Deleted, under “Utilities.” Show your face or type in your PIN to confirm it’s really you, and now select the photo or video you deleted.

ANDROID

Remember, several companies make Android smartphones, so as you follow along with these half-dozen tips you may find a few small differences among Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, Motorola, TCL, OnePlus and so on.

Circle to Search: This is so cool. Press and hold the Home button and then draw your finger around anything on your phone’s screen – such as a historic landmark in a social media post or an actress in a Netflix show – and your phone will instantly do an online image search and tell you relevant info. This works with text, too. You can also use Circle to Search in your real surroundings, such as if you like the pair of shoes worn by someone in front of you in line at the supermarket, as you can point your camera to them (no need to even snap a pic) and circle the shoes to see the brand, price and more. If your phone doesn’t have a physical or virtual Home button, press and hold the navigation bar at the bottom of your Android to launch this.

Find your parked vehicle: After you’ve parked in a spot, open Google Maps and tap the blue dot that shows your location. Tap “Save parking.” Later, launch Google Maps, tap the search bar and then Parking location. Now tap Directions. (This also works in the Google Maps app on iPhone.)

Retrieve deleted photos: Accidentally deleted photos or videos you in fact want to keep? On your Android device, open the Google Photos app and at the bottom, tap “Trash.” Now touch and hold the photo or video you want to restore, then tap Restore at the bottom of the screen. You’ve got 60 days to after you delete a photo to retrieve it.

Set up a private space: Android’s new “Private space” feature (included in Android 15) allows you to create a hidden and secure area on your device where you can install and hide apps you don’t want anyone to see if they have your phone, such as banking apps or something more, er, intimate (cough, cough). To set this up, open Settings on your device and tap on Security & Privacy. Now tap on “Private space” and follow the on-screen instructions including a lock method (PIN, pattern, or password). Once set up, you can access your Private space through your app drawer or by searching for it in settings.

Run apps side-by-side: Why not watch a cooking show and jot down a shopping list at the same time? Swipe up from the bottom or your Android screen and you’ll see recently opened apps in a carousel. Press and hold the small circle at the top of an app you want to open and select “Open in split screen view.” Now select another app near the bottom of your phone to access both simultaneously.

Access your phone on your PC: Speaking of multitasking, Windows users can link their Android phone (or iPhone) to their computer to answer calls, send texts or access the phone’s photos from your PC. It’s easiest to set it up on your PC. To link a phone, type the word “phone” in the search bar at the bottom of your computer screen and you’ll see “Phone Link.” Click this and follow the prompts.

– Based in Toronto, Marc Saltzman is the host of the Tech It Out podcast and author of 17 books, including Apple Watch For Dummies (Wiley)